Proposals from regional publishers Newsquest, Trinity Mirror and Johnston Press to bid for the Newscom newspaper group have all been referred to the Competition Commission. Kim Howells, minister for consumer and corporate affairs at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), has asked the Commission to investigate whether each of the proposed mergers would breach the newspaper ownership regulations or operate against the public interest.
US publishing giant Gannett, which owns Newsquest in the UK, was the first group to write to the DTI seeking permission to bid for Newscom earlier in the month (see Gannett Seeks Permission To Bid For Newscom). Following Gannett’s lead, both Johnston Press and Trinity Mirror have since expressed their interest to the DTI (see Trinity Mirror Confirms Interest In Newscom).
The Competition Commission’s investigation must be completed and returned to the DTI by March 2000. The report will subsequently be published by the DTI.
Department of Trade and Industry: 0171 215 5600Competition Commission: 0171 324 1467
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